Tinubu Sends New Ambassadorial Nominees to Senate

President Bola Tinubu has sent a new list of ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, adding 32 names to the first three he forwarded last week. The President made the move on Saturday through two formal letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, asking the Senate to begin the confirmation process for the new batch.

The Presidency, through a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, explained that the list contains 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees. The new list includes former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode, former Lagos deputy governor Femi Pedro, and former presidential aide Reno Omokri. Others named in the document include former INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu, former Ekiti First Lady Angela Adebayo, former Oyo First Lady Florence Ajimobi, and former Lagos commissioner Lola Akande.

The Presidency also said four women appear on the career list and six on the non-career list. Among the career diplomats nominated are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu from Abia, Yakubu Nyaku Danladi from Taraba, Miamuna Ibrahim Besto from Adamawa, Musa Musa Abubakar from Kebbi, and several serving ambassadors, including Shehu Barde, Ahmed Mohammed Monguno, Muhammad Saidu Dahiru, Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari, and Wahab Adekola Akande.

The Presidency noted that the new nominees will be posted to countries where Nigeria has strong diplomatic relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as permanent missions like the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union. The exact postings will be confirmed after the Senate concludes its screening.

This new list comes shortly after Tinubu earlier sent three names—Ayodele Oke, Amin Mohammed Dalhatu, and Lateef Kayode Are—to the Senate last week. Those three nominees are expected to be assigned to top missions such as the United Kingdom, the United States, or France after their confirmation.

Nigeria has been without ambassadors since September 2023, when President Tinubu ordered the recall of all envoys from the country’s 109 foreign missions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had explained that the recall was carried out on the President’s orders since ambassadors serve at his request. The administration later faced criticism as many embassies struggled with poor funding, leaving diplomats unable to meet basic financial needs.

In May 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the delay in appointing new ambassadors was caused by economic challenges facing the government. With the fresh list now before the Senate, the process of restoring Nigeria’s diplomatic presence abroad is expected to resume once the nominees are screened and confirmed.